House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 23 Apr 2002 (pt 9)

Press Office

Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total cost of running the Department's press office was in (a) 1996–97 and (b) the latest year for which figures are available. [46816]

Mr. Ivan Lewis [holding answer 10 April 2002]: The annual budget for the Department for Education and Employment/Department for Education and Skills press office for 1996–97, 2000–01 and 2001–02 (spend to date) are:

Press office budget figures£

Spend to date Year to date

1996–97 n/a 1,387,834

2000–01 n/a 2,086,576

2001–02 1,877,461⁽⁹⁾ n/a

	Spend to date	Year to date
1996–97	n/a	1,387,834
2000–01	n/a	2,086,576
2001–02	1,877,461⁽⁹⁾	n/a

⁽⁹⁾ To date

Curriculum Online

Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress has been made with the Curriculum Online programme; and if she will make a statement. [48848]

John Healey: We are currently working on the design/build phase of the programme to prepare for the September roll-out of the Curriculum Online service. The service will offer teachers a range of educational material, both free and priced, and will give them the freedom to access the resources that best suit their teaching needs, using the advanced search technology which will feature on the portal.

Pay Scales

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the differential between upper pay scales in further and secondary education in the last three years for which records are available. [50038]

Margaret Hodge: The upper pay scale range for qualified teachers in secondary education over the two years for which we hold comparable details is as follows:

2000: £25,959 to £30,018;

2001: £26,919 to £31,128.

The equivalent pay scale range for lecturers in further education sector colleges, as recommended by employer and employee representative bodies, over the same period is:

2000: £24,039 to £31,771;

2001: £24,928 to 32,947.

23 Apr 2002 : Column 157W

Although the scales are broadly comparable, as independent corporations colleges have their own pay policies and the way in which the recommended pay scales are used will vary from college to college.

Further and Higher Education

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) pursuant to her answer of 3 December 2001, Official Report, column 68W, regarding planned funding of further and higher education, if the planned cash increase of £412 million in 2001–02 was all spent. [50415]

Official Report

Margaret Hodge: The increase in publicly planned funding for higher education institutions in England in 2001–02 over 2000–01 is now estimated to be £396 million, the difference being due mainly to the re-classification of planned expenditure to support widening participation in that year. The accounts for 2001–02 are not yet closed and will not be finalised until November 2002.

For the subsequent two years the increases are now expected to be £292 million and £304 million respectively. The differences are due to provision of funding for the British Academy being made via the Higher Education Funding Council for England from 2002–03, and this increase being offset by a further re-classification of planned expenditure for widening participation in those years. It is intended that these increases will be spent in the years for which they are allocated.

Student Financial Support

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to review the Government's policies on student financial support. [50544]

Margaret Hodge: The Government have announced a review of student finance. We are considering a number of options and a decision will be made in due course.

Universities

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress is being made on lifting the cap on university enrolment. [50674]

Margaret Hodge: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Skills has accepted the recommendation of the board of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) that they dispense with the Maximum Student Number (MaSN) control from 2002–03. It has been agreed that should the removal of the control have undesirable effects, the policies would be reconsidered. Details were announced in the HEFCE publication "Recurrent Grants for 2002–03" (March 02/11) and sent to the heads of all HEFCE-funded institutions and heads of universities in Northern Ireland.

23 Apr 2002 : Column 158W

Medicine

Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps she will take to increase the number of applications to study medicine from social classes IV and V, between 1996 and 2001. [49805]

Margaret Hodge [holding answer 17 April 2002]: Widening access was a criterion in the exercise to distribute new medical places, completed in 2001. Under the "Widening Participation in Medicine" programme universities were encouraged to put forward innovative proposals to support the admission of students from a broad range of social and ethnic backgrounds. The aim is to reflect the population served by the NHS.

In addition, the Council of Heads of Medical Schools, working closely with the Commission for Racial Equality, has set up guiding principles and a model action plan for handling applications and admissions. These have been adopted by all 24 medical schools in the UK.

This Government are committed to raising the participation rates for people from low income backgrounds. We have a £290 million programme under Excellence Challenge, to raise the aspirations of those who traditionally would not consider enter higher education. Moreover, students from lower income families do not pay tuition fees.

As a result of these measures, between 1996 and 2001 the number of applicants from social class IV accepted on to medical courses increased by 32 per cent. and by 50 per cent. for social class V.

Railways

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what shortages of (a) drivers, (b) signallers and (c) tracklayers exist within the railway industry; and how many vacancies there are within the industry for (i) middle managers, (ii) graduates and (iii) others. [50904]

John Healey: The Progress Report on "Delivering the Framework for Skills in the Rail Industry", published in December 2001 by the Strategic Rail Authority and my Department, gives the following information on skill shortages for these occupations:

Occupational group Population Number of skill shortages Percentage

Trade Occupations

Train driving 19,000 855 4.5

Signal operation (and control) 6,500 ⁽¹⁰⁾(795) 100 ⁽¹⁰⁾(12.3) 1.5

Track laying and maintenance 10,000 1,200 12

First line/middle management 18,650 755 4

Graduate and professional staff 20,000 1,638 8

Other occupations 45,050 ⁽¹¹⁾— ⁽¹¹⁾—

Occupational group	Population	Number of skill shortages	Percentage
Trade Occupations
Train driving	19,000	855	4.5
Signal operation (and control)	6,500	⁽¹⁰⁾(795) 100	⁽¹⁰⁾(12.3) 1.5
Track laying and maintenance	10,000	1,200	12

First line/middle management	18,650	755	4

Graduate and professional staff	20,000	1,638	8

Other occupations	45,050	⁽¹¹⁾—	⁽¹¹⁾—

⁽¹⁰⁾ These figures have been amended since the report was published, as new information became available.

⁽¹¹⁾ Not available.

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to her answer of 10 April 2002, Official Report, column 119W, on skills shortages in the railway industry, if she will place in the Library copies of the "Framework for Skills in the Rail Industry"

23 Apr 2002 : Column 159W

and the progress report; to whom, and where, she announced the funding for new adult apprenticeships; and to which significant skill shortages she refers. [51034]

John Healey: Copies of the "Framework for Skills in the Rail Industry" and the progress report on it have been placed in the Library. I announced the funding for adult apprenticeships for the rail industry at the Transport Skills Seminar on 14 February 2002. The significant skill shortages I referred to are those for train driving, signal operation (and control), electrification and track laying and maintenance.

EU Council of Ministers

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills who attended the education meeting of the EU Council of Ministers on 8 June 2001 on behalf of the UK; and who led the UK delegation. [51037]

Margaret Hodge [holding answer 18 April 2002]: There was no meeting of the EU Education Council on this date. However, the UK was represented, at the meeting of 8 June 2000, by Nicol Stephen MSP. This is one of only two occasions, when a Minister from Scotland has led the UK delegation at a meeting of the EU Education Council.

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills who attended the education meeting of the EU Council of Ministers on 12 February 2001 on behalf of the UK; and who led the UK delegation. [51038]

Margaret Hodge [holding answer 18 April 2002]: The UK was represented at the EU Education Council of 12 February 2001 by Nicol Stephen MSP. This is one of only two occasions, when a Minister from Scotland has led the UK delegation at a meeting of the EU Education Council.

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